Scarlett Johansson was clearly not on the same page as her husband, SNL star Colin Jost, when he purchased the decommissioned John F. Kennedy Staten Island Ferry in 2022 for $280,100. Colin, who has been a staff writer on the NBC sketch comedy series since 2005, made the bizarre splurge with a group of investors and fellow Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson.
A Nostalgic but Impulsive Buy
Colin revealed that the ferry holds special nostalgia for him, as he rode it daily to attend school in Manhattan's Upper East Side as a teenager. Still, he admitted that he and Pete purchased it when they were 'very stoned,' and joked that the comedian was 'the wrong person to text with when you have an idea like this.' 'I was like, "Should we buy this?"' to which Pete reportedly replied: 'F*** yeah, we've got to do this!'
Scarlett's Reaction
Now, while speaking on a recent episode of the SmartLess podcast, Colin reminisced about the moment he bought the boat — including Scarlett's less-than-impressed reaction. In a teaser snippet, he said: 'I texted Scarlett, like, "Guess what? We own a ferry now." And she was like, "We?"' Last year, Scarlett also made her feelings crystal clear when she and Colin appeared on TODAY with Jenna & Friends. While talking about the ferry, she joked: 'All I can say is if anybody out there would like to start a GoFundMe for the Staten Island Ferry, please be my guest.' She continued, adding that she didn't know whether she was 'speaking for the Staten Island Ferry or against it,' but teased that the GoFundMe page would 'help' her family — seemingly alluding to the fact that it's a money pit. 'This has now become a telethon for Support the Staten Island Ferry,' she concluded.
Regrets and Reality
This came after Colin told People in 2024 that buying the boat was 'absolutely the dumbest and least thought-through purchase I've ever made in my life.' Colin also appeared in a Saturday Night Live sketch on board a ferry last year, where he suggested he might be regretting his investment. Pleading with a passenger on board, he said in the scene: 'You said you love ferries? If you love ferries, would you like to buy one? Please buy it!'
From Money Pit to Event Space
However, Colin and Scarlett needn't worry about the boat being a 'sort of crazy money pit,' to quote the SNL star. Already, the ferry has garnered plenty of attention, transforming into a floating event space for luxury fashion brands and comedy horror movies. Back in 2024, it famously hosted the Tommy Hilfiger SS25 fashion show during New York Fashion Week. The boat was also used for filming the 2025 comedy horror Screamboat, about a late-night New York City boat ride that becomes a struggle for survival. At the time of purchase, the comedians said they hoped to turn the ferry into an entertainment venue.
